Wisconsin Counseling Service Quadrupling Free Supply of Medication to Quit Tobacco Products

Thursday, February 1st, 2024 -- 9:00 AM

(Elizabeth Dohms-Harter, Wisconsin Public Radio) A counseling service in Wisconsin is quadrupling its free supply of medication to help people quit all tobacco products.

According to Elizabeth Dohms-Harter with Wisconsin Public Radio, Dr. Michael Fiore said since 2008, the Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line would mail two weeks of medication including nicotine patches, nicotine lozenges or nicotine gum to eligible tobacco users.

Fiore told listeners on WPR’s “The Larry Meiller Show” that with the help of more funding from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, eligible tobacco users can get eight weeks of medication free. The program began Jan. 1 and runs for as long as the supply lasts.

Fiore, a professor of medicine, founder and director of the Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said there are about 650,000 smokers in Wisconsin. If those smokers don’t quit tobacco products, Fiore said about half will die prematurely of a disease caused by smoking.

“There’s nothing a person can do that will improve their current and future health as much as quitting smoking,” he said. Eligible recipients can ask for an eight-week supply by calling 800-QUIT-NOW, texting “Ready” to 34191 or by visiting wiquitline.org.

The medicine is mailed to recipients’ homes and does not require a prescription. Fiore said research has shown the more times a person tries to quit tobacco products, the greater the likelihood is that they will succeed.

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